I nod. “You’re right.” I dry my eyes and face before standing and wobbling on my feet.
Dane stands with me and takes my arm. “Come on, I’ll drive you home.”
“Wait!”
He pauses and looks at me.
“I need a favor,” I say, swaying back and forth.
“Anything.”
Dane drives me home and helps me up the stairs to the bedroom. Somehow in the middle of it all, Lennox gets woken up.
“What’s going on?” she asks, sitting up and looking at Dane carrying me to bed.
Dane releases me and holds his hands up in the air like he’s been caught red-handed. “I’m just bringing him home. He’s been at the grill.” He points toward the door. “I’m going to go ahead and go.”
“Thanks for the ride, man,” I slur as I take a seat on the edge of the bed. Clumsily, I pull my shirt over my head and toss it in the floor. I cross my ankle over my knee to take off my shoe, but the movement throws me off balance, and I fall into the floor.
Lennox gets up and walks around the bed, sitting on the floor next to me. “Mason, what’s going on?” She begins untying my shoe for me.
I take a deep breath, leaning my head back against the bed. “I’m a fucking mess, Len. I just keep thinking what if.”
Her green eyes meet mine. “What if, what?”
“What if it’s cancer? What if it takes you from me, from the kids?” Tears fill my eye and fall over, rolling down my face. “I can’t live without you. It almost killed me the last time. I can’t do it again.”
I see her shoulders fall before she climbs into my lap. “You won’t have to, Mason. Everything is going to be fine, remember?” She wraps her arms around my neck, and I wrap mine around her waist. I pull her as close as I can get her, holding on like my life, her life, depends on it.
She leans back, looking me in the eye as tears roll down her cheeks. “We’ve been through so much, Mason. We can overcome this too. I know we can. We just have to stay strong and fight, just like we’ve always had to do.”
“This isn’t a dream coming true. It’s not some guy who doesn’t want to let you go. How can we fight again something we can’t see?”
She taps my chest. “With our hearts. My love for you and the kids will keep me strong. It’ll give me the strength I need to fight. But I need you to be strong with me. I need you to hold on to me. Refuse to let me go. And if the time comes, and I’m ready to give up, I need you to fight for both of us. Can you do that? Can you fight this with me? Fight for me?”
“I’d do anything for you, Lennox. You know that.” I close the distance by pressing my lips to hers. I need to taste her. I need her, now and the rest of my life.
She breaks the kiss and leans back. “I know you don’t want to hear this, but the deed to the house and all the important papers are in the safe in the closet.”
I shake my head “No, I don’t want to hear this.”
“I want Em to have my rings, don’t bury them with...”
“No! We’re not talking about this.” I pick her up and place her on the floor as I stand and begin pacing. “I won’t listen to this, Lennox. I refuse to believe anything bad will happen.”
“Mason, this stuff is important. You need to hear it.” She stands and moves in front of me.
I shake my head. “No. If it’s important, tell me after the biopsy. I refuse to sit here and act like you’re dying.” I place my hands on either side of her face while looking into her eyes. “You’re not going anywhere. Not without me. Understand?”
She nods, and I pull her in for a kiss. My hands grab ahold of her thighs, and I pick her up against me where she wraps her legs around my hips. I kiss her with everything I have inside of me. I had a moment of weakness earlier, but I’m stronger now, and I refuse to let her go.
With sure steps, I walk across the room and place her on our bed as I crawl up. My hands tour her body—touching, feeling, memorizing every curve of her. My mouth devours hers, burning this moment into my memory. She pushes my jeans down my hips, and I break away from her to rip them from my body. I push her large T-shirt up and pull her panties down as my dick nearly throbs against her.
“Mason, make love to me,” she says in a gasp.
With my lips on hers once again, I roll my hips, sliding deeply inside. The moment we connect, she calls out for me. My hands squeeze her hips so hard, naked bits of flesh bubble up between my fingers as I thrust in and out of her.
My eyes stay transfixed on the love and passion on her face. Her green eyes are squeezed tight, her lips are agape from her heavy breathing, and she calls out my name over and over.
“Lennox.”
She opens her eyes.
“I love you,” I say, never stopping with my movements.
“I love you.”
I lean in and kiss her just as I push her over the edge with a roll of my hips.
Chapter Eleven
Emma
“Want to come back to my place and watch a movie or something? It’s still pretty early,” Tony says as he pushes his plate away.
“Sure, do I get to pick the movie?”
He grins. “Why not? I’ll probably be watching you more than the movie anyway.”
I can’t stop the smile that spreads across my face.
He tosses some cash on the table, and we stand to leave.
It doesn’t take long to drive across town, over to his place. We both collapse on the couch, and he hands me the remote. I bring up Netflix and randomly scroll through until I find a movie that will do.
We’re only halfway through the movie when Tony leans in closer and wraps his arm around me. I look over at him with a smile and rest against his side. His smell washes over me, and I can’t stop myself from thinking about all the kisses we’ve shared over the past couple of days.
“Em?”
I look up to see him wet his lips. Ever so slowly, he leans in and presses his mouth to mine.
Something floods over my body, and it’s powerful. It drives me to turn off my brain and just let things move between us naturally. I lace my hands into his hair as I move to his lap. He’s already hard. I can feel him where I need him the most. Without thinking, I rock myself backward and then forward, enjoying the feeling of the jolt of electricity I get when that perfect spot is touched.
His hand lands on my hips with a firm squeeze and he breaks the kiss. “You have no idea what you’re doing to me, Em.” His dark eyes are clouded with something I don’t recognize. Is it lust? Passion?
“I think I do,” I say, bringing my lips back to his. I roll my hips again and just as my stomach gets hit by that lightning bolt, he rolls us over, covering my body with his. My legs are parted with him between them. And with his weight pressing down on me, I feel him more than before.
Our kisses are quick and messy as his hands travel my body. More than anything, I want to feel his mouth on my chest again. I’ve never been more turned on than last night when he did that.
“Kiss me,” I say against his lips.
“I am,” he whispers back.
I break the kiss completely and look into his eyes. “Like you did last night.”
The corners of his mouth turn up into a smile before he raises my shirt and lowers his hot mouth to me. My stomach muscles clench the second he sucks my nipple into his mouth, and I let out a gasp while gently pulling his hair.
His hands massage my breasts while he flicks his tongue against my sensitive nipple. But slowly, one hand begins traveling down my stomach. I’m completely lost to ecstasy. I can’t stop him on his descent. I want his touch.
His hand pushes past my cloth shorts, but before he dips past my bikini bottoms, he freezes. “Is this okay, Em? I don’t want to do something you’re not okay with.”
“Don’t stop,” I whisper with my eyes closed. Everything he’s doing feels so good, I don’t want to bring myself down by opening my eyes.
With my permission, his hand dips lower, finding my
aching sex. His finger slides between my folds with ease before he slides it inside of me. I gasp with the feeling. Nobody has ever been there, not even me.
His fingers move quickly over me, making every muscle in my body tighten. Something is building, and I have no idea what I’m feeling or what to do with it.
“Tony,” leaves my lips in a gasp.
“Yeah?” he asks, without removing his hand.
“I think…” I’m breathing so heavily. Is my body supposed to be responding this way? “I think I’m…”
“Going to come?” he asks. His lips touch mine. “It’s okay, Em. Come for me.”
“I… I don’t know how.” I know it sounds stupid, but all I can feel is this pressure that keeps rising. I don’t know how to release it.
“Shut off your brain. Stop thinking about it. Stop worrying. Just feel it. Feel me.” His lips land on mine again, but this time, stronger. His tongue slides into my mouth as my fingers tangle in his hair.
I do what he says. I stop thinking, stop worrying. I just feel the pleasure he’s causing in me. When I least expect it, it happens. My orgasm washes over me fast and hard. It’s earth-shattering and stops my breathing. A whimper leaves my lips as my hips start rocking against his hand, riding out every last wave.
When my breathing picks back up and I go still, he slowly removes his hand from me. “That was sexy as hell, beautiful.” His lips crash against mine.
When we finally break apart, my face flushes. He smiles at me and sits up, pulling me up with him. “Are you embarrassed, blue eyes?”
An awkward laugh leaves my lips. “A little.”
“Why?” He’s studying me.
I look over at him for the first time since all this started. “I don’t know. I just… I’ve never gone that far before.”
His head cocks to the side. “You mean, you never…”
I nod, afraid of using my voice.
“Not even alone?”
“I never have. That was my first.”
His grin turns into a full-blown smile now. “I’m happy to be your first.”
When I get home, I go straight to my room and grab some clothes for a shower. Just as I’m stepping into the hallway, my mom walks out of her bedroom. “Hey, are you just getting in?”
I smile and nod, hoping she doesn’t see the guilt written all over my face.
“You’re staying in the rest of the night, right?”
I nod again and motion towards the clothes in my hand. “Yeah, I’m just going for a shower.”
“Okay, good night, Em. I love you.” She turns to head down the stairs.
“Love you too, Mom.”
I spin and walk toward the bathroom as quickly as possible.
I feel like I should tell my mom what happened between me and Tony tonight, but how do you tell your mom something like that? It’s so embarrassing. I don’t think I can say the words out loud. I don’t know if I can even write them to confess to my diary.
My phone ringing wakes me in the morning. I grab it, still half asleep and answer without looking to see who it is.
“Hello?”
“Em, what’s up?” Levi asks.
“I’m asleep, Levi,” I mumble into the phone.
“Oh. Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you. I was just wondering if you wanted to meet up with the rest of us at the bowling alley. We’re going to eat lunch and play a few games.”
“Who’s us?” I ask because I don’t want to be tricked into a date again.
“Me, my sister, your brother, and Jax. What do you say?”
“Okay, I’ll meet you all there.” I hang up the phone without hearing his reply.
I drop the phone onto my bed and push myself up.
After pulling on a pair of jean shorts and a tank top, I sit at my vanity, examining myself. I don’t look any different, but I feel different after last night. My dark hair hangs in loose curls on either side of my face, and my ice-blue eyes sparkle. I add a smidge of eyeliner to make them pop, swipe on some mascara, and dab on lip gloss. When I’m happy with my appearance, I stand and make my way toward the front door.
“Where you going, Em?” my mom asks from the kitchen.
I pause with my hand on the knob. “To the bowling alley with Preston and the rest of the guys. Need anything while I’m in town?”
“No, thank you. Be careful, and I love you.”
“Love you too, Mom.” With that, I step out into the heat of the day.
It doesn’t take long for me to drive to the bowling alley. The top on my Jeep is down, and with the sun shining and the breeze blowing through my hair, I enjoy the ride. Not to mention the blaring music drowning out all thoughts.
When I walk inside, I find everyone sitting together at one table. I stop at the counter and put in my order before joining them.
“Hey, Em,” Macy says, taking a sip of her soda.
“Hey, what’s going on?”
She rolls her eyes. “Oh, you know… we’re all just trying to figure out if you’ve given it up to that hot boyfriend of yours.” She smiles wide.
“I was not wondering!” Preston says, standing and walking away which causes Macy to laugh.
Jax places his elbows on the table and leans in. “I voted that you had. After seeing you two going at it on the beach that night, there’s no way he hasn’t gotten a homerun by now.”
I roll my eyes and flip him off.
“I voted no way. Levi is being a dick and won’t play. So?” Macy lifts her eyebrows with the question.
“I expect this from a bunch of guys, but not from you Mace.” I turn and walk up to the counter to wait for my food.
Levi strides up, leaning against the counter with me. “I’m sorry about that, Em. I told her not to go there.”
“What’s her problem? Why is she trying to embarrass me?”
He slides his hands into his pockets and looks down at his feet. “I think she’s a little mad about you seeing that guy.”
“What? Why would she be mad?” I ask, confused. Macy has never cared one way or another about any guys I may or may not have been interested in.
He looks up at me, and I can read it in his eyes. Levi knows about me and Tony, and it’s hurting him since he has a crush on me. Macy is mad because I hurt her little brother. But I thought she understood?
“Did finding out about me and Tony hurt you?”
A puff of air leaves his lips. “What? No. Why would that bother me?”
I cock my head to the side, studying him. “I know you have a thing for me, Levi. And even though I didn’t want to hurt you, maybe I did when I turned you down and started seeing Tony.”
He shakes his head. “Listen, I’m fine. My sister is just a bitch sometimes. I wouldn’t sweat it.” He quickly looks around and sees Preston in the arcade section behind me. “I’m going to go see what Preston’s up to.” He pushes past me, leaving in a hurry.
A part of me feels horrible for not considering how Levi would take the news. But what am I supposed to do? Not see Tony, a guy I totally like, just to keep from hurting his feelings?
My food is placed in front of me, and I’m about to leave it and walk out, but then Jax leaves Macy at the table alone and walks up to me. He grabs a handful of my fries, tossing them in his mouth. He immediately regrets it. “Fuck! That’s hot,” he says around a mouthful while attempting to blow the hotness from his mouth.
I can’t hold back my laugh. “They were just cooked, dumbass!”
He quickly swallows, then grabs my soda and takes a drink to cool his mouth. “Warn a guy next time, damn.”
I hold up my hands. “You didn’t give me time.”
He waves me off. “I’m going to go see what those two assholes over there are doing. Go talk to Macy. She feels bad.”
I roll my eyes, not quite ready to forgive her. But we’ve all been together for so long now, I know I can’t shut her out forever. I grab my food and soda and walk back over to the table, sitting down. “Wanna fill me in, M
ace?”
“I’m sorry, Em. I didn’t mean to be a bitch. Jax came in talking about Tony joining the group because you two are all hot and heavy, and I saw how much it upset Levi.” Her face contorts to one of disgust. “I didn’t even know that I cared if he was hurt.”
I let out a laugh. “I thought you understood why we wouldn’t work out. Hell, you agreed with me.”
“I know I did. And being older than anyone in the group, and a girl, I know why it won’t. But being Levi’s sister and seeing him hurt… I don’t know, something just kicked in I wasn’t expecting.”
My eyes land on Jax, Preston, and Levi all fighting about who’s going to play who at the air hockey table, and I get it. I wouldn’t be happy if someone hurt my little brother either, intentional or not.
I nod. “I get it. But seriously, know that I’m not meaning to hurt him. He’s a good friend, and I don’t want to lose him or you.”
She smiles, sweetly. “I know.”
With that settled, I grab a fry and pop it in my mouth. “Fuck, Jax was right. These are hot as hell!” I quickly chew and swallow, rinsing it down with a drink the same way Jax did.
“So, tell me about you and hot Tony,” Macy says around her evil grin.
I laugh. “Hot Tony?”
She shrugs. “That’s what all the girls are calling him, you know?”
“No, I didn’t know.” But hearing that makes me smile. All the girls want my guy. Then panic sets in… all the girls want my guy. What if I’m not good enough?
“What’s the matter?” Macy asks, voice dripping with concern.
“I don’t know. I’m just nervous. I’ve never done this relationship thing before. What if I’m not good enough, or pretty enough, or… you know, experienced enough?”
“From what Jax was saying, I wouldn’t worry. He said Tony’s got it bad for you.”
“Really?” My face heats up.
She nods. “Mmm-hmm. Jax said any time they’re together, all Tony talks about is you. He wanted to know all kinds of info on you. You’re lucky I gave him your number.”
One More Chance at Forever (The Chance Series Book 5) Page 8